On February 11, 1944, WASP Class 44-1 became the first class to graduate wearing the official Santiago blue uniform, specially designed by Bergdorf Goodman and manufactured by Neiman Marcus in Dallas. The graduates were awarded their wings by WASP commander and female aviation legend, Jackie Cochran at the WASP training facility in Sweetwater, Texas. The custom uniform was yet another distinctive of the groundbreaking Women Airforce Service Pilots program, which would ultimately train over 1,000 women to serve their country during World War II.
The WASP program, formed through the merger of Nancy Love’s WAFS and Jackie Cochran’s WFTD in 1943, established its primary training facility at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. This unique installation held the distinction of being an all-female air base, except for instructors and support crews. The training was rigorous – women pilots underwent 210 hours of flight training and 560 hours of ground school, covering everything from mathematics and physics to navigation and maintenance. Of the 25,000 women who applied, only 1,830 were admitted, and 1,074 successfully completed the demanding program.
These pioneering aviators went on to serve at 125 Army air bases across the United States, with 23 of those bases located in Texas. Their missions were diverse and crucial to the war effort, including ferrying planes, towing targets, training bombardiers, and testing repaired aircraft. By the time the program was disbanded in December 1944, WASP pilots had flown more than 60 million miles in service to their country, paving the way for future generations of women in aviation.
